Fireproof casing for elevator-shafts.



No. 734,599. PATBNTED JULY 28, 1903..

J. J." PLUGKER. PIREPROOF CASING FOR ELEVATOR SHAFTS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5. 1902.

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No. 734,599. I PATBNTED JULY 28, 1903.

J. J. PLUGKER.

PIREPROOE' CASING FOR ELEVATOR SHAFTS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 5| 1902.

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. ing-lever shown in Fig. 2.

UNITED STATES.

Patented July 28, 1903.

; PATENT OFFICE.

MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO JAME PENNSYLVANIA.

S S. JOHNSON, OF PHILADELPHIA,

FIREPROOF CASING FOR ELEVATOR-SHA'FT-S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.'734,599, dat

Application filed December 5, 1902. Serial No. 134,031. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: f

Be it known that I, JAooB J. PLUCKER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and aresident of 6820 Paschall avenue, Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFireproof Casings for Elevator-Shafts, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in casings for elevator-shafts, andhas for its object to provide a casing of such construction that undernormal conditions it may be opened to provide for the admission of lightand air to the elevator-shaft and in case of fire may be closed from thetop to the bottom of the shaft from any floor of the building to cut oficommunicationbetween the building and the shaft.

Reference is bad to the drawings, wherein the same reference numeralindicates the same part wherever it occurs.

Figure 1 is a section taken through a building, showing in frontelevation a double elevator-shaft provided with my improved casing. Fig.2 is a sectional view of part of the elevator-casing looking toward thetop of the shaft, the section being taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a detail sectional view through the top part of the casing on one ofthe floors of the building, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 isadetail view of the main operat- Fig. 5 is a detail view of one form ofvalve connection for automatically turning on water when the easing isclosed. Fig. 6 is a side view showing a series of shutters and themechanism by 1 gitudinal sectional view of the same.

which they are operated, the shutters being shown in their closedposition. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, showing the shutters intheir open position. Fig. 8 is a detail elevational view of a modifiedform of column for supporting the shutters. Fig. 9 is a lon- Figs. 10and '11 are detail views of a modified form of connecting-lever forconnecting the shutters to the operating-rods. A

In the particular embodiment of my in vention which I have shown in thisapplication the elevator-shaft is surrounded by vertical ed July-28,1903.

' columns 1', which in the form of construction shown in Figs. 1 to 7,inclusive, run the full height of the building, and between thesecolumns are mounted the horizontal shutters 2, these shutters beingformed of iron or other suitable fireproof material and when opened forma grille inclosing the elevator-shaftand admitting light and air to thesame and when closed out oi the shaft from therest of the building, sothat a fire cannot be transmitted from one part of the building toanother by the elevator-shaft acting as achimney. The shutters 2 extendbetween the columns 1, the columns being preferably built up of twochannel-irons 4:, held together by the plates 5 5. The side plates 4.are perforated to receive the pivotal ends of the shutters.

The operating means for operating the shutters is preferably connectedto each'alternate pair of shutters inside the columns, the adjacent endsof the pairs of shutters which are not connected to the operatingmechanism being connected together by means of dowelpins 6,thedowel-pins being held in position in the ends of the shutters bymeans of the pins 7. I

8 represents a series of levers which are pivoted to collars 9, whichare held between locknuts 10 10to a vertical rod 11. The levers 8 areconnected to the shutters by means of a square projection on thecenter'of' the connecting dowel-pin 6. Secured to each end of the rods11 are linksl2, the links 12 being held on the ends of the rods 11 bymeans of the lock-nuts 13.

14 is a vertical rod which extends the full height of the building andat the top and at the bottom of each set of shutters passes through thelinks 12.

15 represents collars 7 provided with setscrews which are mounted onabove the links 12. I

16 represents springs held between the link the rod 14: just holding thelinks normally against the collar 15 when the shutters are open, asshown in Fig. 7, but being put under tension when the shutters areclosed, as in Fig. 6, whereby, as

will be clearly seen, the shutters will be held tightly together by thetension of the springs. The necessity for these springs is because ithas been practically impossible to so adjust the different sets ofshutters that they will all close together, and it is to allow some ofthe sets to close before the other sets that I use these springs. Theoperating-rod being moved such a distance that it will put the springsof all the sets under tension, the tension of some of the springs will,however, be greater than others. The rods 14 extend to the top of theelevator-shaft, where they are connected by suitable links to levers 18,secured to shafts 19, which shafts are set at right angles to each otherand geared together by the beveled gears 20, the shafts being supportedin suitable bearings 21. Secured fast to one of the shafts 19 is a lever22, to one end of which is pivoted a vertical rod 23, which extends thefull height of the building outside of the casing and which is adaptedto. be pulled for the purpose of closing the shutters through theoscillation of the shafts l9 and the consequent pulling down on the rods14. On the other end of this lever 22 is adjustably mounted a weight 24in order to counterbalance the combined Weights of the various parts ofthe operating mechanism.

25 is a casing which extends around the elevator-shaft just under theceiling of each floor and in position to form, with the upper edge ofthe upper shutter for that floor, a

continuation of the shutter structure up to the ceiling to make theshaft fireproof clear to the ceiling, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3. Inorder to keep the casing and the interior of the shaft cool, even thoughthere was a fire immediately surrounding the shaft, I

have secured to the casing 25 by suitable brackets a pipe 26, which isperforated on its lower side at 27, through which water may be'forcedwhen the shutters are closed, and I have provided an automatic means foropening a valve controlling the supply of water to this pipe structure.

28 is the supply-pipe for the pipes 26, and where the pipe 28 passesunder one of the shafts 19 I have provided a valve 29, which isconnected to a pulley 30 on the shaft 19 by a belt 31, whereby upon theoperation of the mechanism for closing the shutters the valve 29 will beopened and water will be forced through the pipes 26.

In Figs. 8 and 9 I have shown a modification of the vertical columns. Inthis modification the columns instead of extending the full height ofthe elevator-shaft are made in sections and secured between the floors.The sections are held in position by means of brackets 32, provided withelongated slots 33, through which pass bolts 34 into the columnsections,so that the columns may be placed in the building without having to bespecially made therefor, as will be clearly understood.

In Figs. 10 and 11 I have shown a modified form of connection forconnecting the levers 8 to the vertical rod 11. This connection consistsof a pair of plates 35,which are provided with a pivot 36 for the levers8 and are adapted to be clamped onto the rod 11 by means of the bolts37.

It will be seen that by the construction above described I have produceda structure which when under normal conditions with the slats open ispractically a grillework and allows all the light and air necessary tofreely enter the elevator-shaft; but upon the breaking out of a fire inthe building any one by pulling up on the rod 23 from any floor of thebuilding can instantly close the casing and cut off all communicationwith the ole vator shaft, so that the fire can have no chance to spreadthrough the building by means of the elevator-shaft, as is often thecase.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an elevator-shaft the combination of a series of columnssurrounding the shaft, sets of movable shutters interposed between thecolumns, a system of rods extending from the top to the bottom of theshaft and connected to the sets of shutters, mechanism arranged at thetop of the shaft connecting the rods whereby they will operate theshutters simultaneously, and a rod connected to said operating mechanismextending from the top to the bottom of said building which may beraised or lowered from any floor of the building opening and closing theshutters.

2. In an elevator-shaft the combination of a series of columnssurrounding the shaft, sets of shutters interposed between the col-'umns and pivoted thereto, vertical rods extending from the top to thebottom of the shaft, a set of rods for each set of shutters connected tothe vertical rods, pivoted links for connecting the shutters of each setto its red, mechanism at the top of the shaft connecting the verticalrods to cause them to move simultaneously and an operating-rod extendingfrom the top to the bottom of the building and connected to saidconnecting mechanism whereby all the shutters may be operatedsimultaneously from any floor of the building.

3. In an elevator-shaft the combination of a series of columnssurrounding the shaft, sets of shutters interposed between the columnsand pivoted thereto, vertical rods extending from the top to the bottomof the shaft, a set of rods for each set of shutters yieldinglyconnected to the vertical rods, pivoted links for connecting theshutters of each set to its rod, mechanism at the top of the shaftconnecting the vertical rods to cause them to move simultaneously and anoperating-rod extending from the top to the bottom of the building andconnected to said con necting mechanism whereby all the shutters may beoperated simultaneously from any floor of the building.

IIO

4. The combination with a series of shutters pivoted in suitably-setframes of a rod, links connecting the shutters to therod whereby uponthe reciprocation of the rod the shutters will be opened and closed, anoperatingrod for said first-mentioned rod, a collar secured to thefirst-mentioned rod through which the second rod loosely passes, asecond collar fast on said last-mentioned rod on one side of thefirst-mentioned collar and a spring on the other side of said collar,the parts being so constructed that When the second rod is moved toclose the shutters the shutters will be held together under tension.

5. In an elevator-shaft the combination with a framework of columns,movable shutters interposed between the same, and means i JACOB J.PLUOKER.

Witnesses:

HOWARD D. ADAMS, FRANCIS M. PHELPS.

